


Needles are for Sewing, Swan

by SabbyStarlight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Comforting Emma, F/M, Hurt Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Hurt/Comfort, Needles, Phobias
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 15:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4354859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SabbyStarlight/pseuds/SabbyStarlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Trying to convey the benefits of modern vaccinations, or modern medicine in general, to a pirate whose first aid kit was made entirely of clothing scraps and rum had been one the more difficult battles she had fought since the job of "modernizing" Hook had been taken on by her and her family.  Or, Operation: Sparrow.  As Henry liked to call it.  (Yes, Sparrow as in Captain Jack, because, hey, her son was 13 and thats what happens when Mom starts dating a pirate)."</p>
<p>Or:  Emma takes Killian to the hospital to get all the suggested booster vaccinations for this world and discovers that even pirates have their limits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Needles are for Sewing, Swan

**Author's Note:**

> So this was supposed to be a short, fluffy little drabble to dip my toe into the CaptainSwan fanfiction world. But it’s amazing how far away from your original intent your muse will take you when you're writing to a maple syrup scented candle (yeah, that’s a real thing and is just as epic as it sounds) and a Judy Garland vinyl. Sooo…. Yeah! Almost 3000 words later, here’s my first attempt at a CS fic! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you thought!

"Swan, do we really have to do this? Today?" Killian tried again from his place on the sofa, where he had refused to move all morning. Today was a day he had been dreading since Emma brought up the subject two weeks ago. Today she was taking him to the hospital to receive this world's booster vaccines and since he hadn't had any of the shots, he was due for multiple injections. Six to be exact. A number that she still hadn't told her pirate. 

"I have been in this realm for a couple years now and it hasn't been an issue. So I don't see the rush..." He had been trying continually to talk his way out of the appointment for the past few days but Emma wasn't giving in. Ensuring his health was worth spending her day off babysitting the Captain. 

"Killian. I told you, we are doing this." she told him, sitting down next to him and taking his hand in hers. "I know it isn't the best way to spend the day but it's important. And no, its not exactly fun, but if we just get it over with we can be home with a few hours to spare before my Mom gets off work. And Henry's staying with Regina tonight... " She finished with a sweet and hopefully convincing, kiss to his lips. 

Without warning, he had one arm around her waist and had her on her back on pinned between his body and the sofa. 

"Actually love, I can think of a much more entertaining way for us to spend our day." With a quick wink, his smirking lips had found their way to her neck marking a trail down to the collar of her shirt. As much as she would have loved to take this arrangement back to her bedroom and spend the entire day there with Killian, she knew that if she didn't get him to the doctor's today it would be weeks before her next day off and that was baring that no complications popped up from fairy tale land. This, and the fact that she knew there was no way Kilian would go anywhere near that hospital without her dragging him there herself left her determined to get this over with today. 

"Oh no, buddy. Not gonna happen." She pushed against his chest as she sat up, causing him to frown. "We are going. Now. We can pick up here when we get back." She stood up and rebuttoned her shirt (When did he manage to do that?) while he remained on the couch, the corners of his mouth drawn down in a pout. Blue eyes met hers, and the look he gave her was almost enough to make her give in, but she held strong and held out her hand for him to take. Once he realized that he was not going to win this fight, he sighed dejectedly and reach his hand out to grab hers. 

The walk to the car was silent, as was the short ride across town. Killian didn't say a word until they were parked at the hospital. 

"Lets just bloody get it over with." He muttered, forcing the car door open and shutting it with a little more force than necessary. She followed him into the building and signed him onto the waiting list as he sat down in the uncomfortable chairs. Taking a seat beside him she placed a hand on his knee, causing him to turn to look at her. Fear, of the unknown, of not being in control, of not knowing what to expect from this strange land's medical practices flashed in his eyes. 

"You are going to be fine." She promised, with a small smile. "I will be right there the whole time. Ok?" She squeezed his knee.

"Aye" he sighed, creases in his brow softening. "I agree to go through with the procedure, but I refuse to believe that stabbing a needle full of poison into one's self is healthy. Needles are for sewing, Swan. Mainly fabric, occasionally flesh, but this land chooses to use them to willingly put toxins into their bodies. And yet pirates are considered savages," He quarrelled in a whisper, mindful of the fact that the waiting room was half full. 

It was an speech she had heard countless times in the past two weeks and while she knew she was doing the right thing, she had to admit, trying to convey the benefits of modern vaccinations, or modern medicine in general, to a pirate whose first aid kit was made entirely of clothing scraps and rum had been one the more difficult battles she had fought since the job of "modernizing" Hook had been taken on by her and her family. Or, Operation: Sparrow. As Henry liked to call it. (Yes, Sparrow as in Captain Jack, because, hey, her son was 13 and thats what happens when Mom starts dating a pirate). 

"I know," she conceded, laying her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to like it, but I'm not giving in on this one. Besides, what kind of parent would I be if I made Henry go through this but not you?" She knew playing the Henry card was a bit of a low blow, but she was running out of ammunition. And while she couldn't protect her Captain from all the dangers of his new world, (that stapeler incident still made her shudder) this was something she could do. 

"The lad does look up to me doesn't he?" Killian questioned with a small smile. "It would be a shame to tarnish the image of the fearless pirate he sees me as. Especially over something as frivolous as this..."

"Exactly." Emma answered quickly, glad that he finally seemed to be caving. "So does this mean no more pouting?" She teased. 

"Aye, Darling." he answered with a smile and a kiss to the top of her head. And then a whisper in her ear "As long as you promise to make it up to me later."

They spent the next few minutes snuggled as close together as two could get in the hospital waiting room chairs, flipping through a months old tabloid and the pirate seemed to have finally relaxed. Until the nurse came out of the door and called "Killian Jones?" 

His entire body tensed up and Emma sighed inwardly, knowing that if she thought getting him to the office was difficult, she was in for an even bigger challenge now. "Come on Kill. We're just gonna get it over with, remember?" 

For the second time that day he begrudgingly took her outstretched hand in his and followed her through the doorway and down the hall into the tiny little room that looked exactly like a combination of a prison cell and a torture chamber. 

"Sit on the bed there, sweetie, and I will send someone in right away to take care of you, ok?" The overly happy nurse instructed with a smile. "Oh! And you will need to get rid of that jacket and roll your shirt sleeves up so the nurse giving your your shots can reach your upper arms!" She reminded as she left the torture chamber / jail cell.

"How can anyone work in a place as purely evil as this be so happy about it?" Killian grumbled as he shrugged his jacket off his broad shoulders and handed it to Emma, who laid it on the chair in the corner of the room and began rolling up his shirt sleeves, knowing that doing so one handed would be near to impossible. "Her demeanor is supposed to be comforting and reassuring," she answered, giving his shoulder a squeeze and moving on to the other side. 

"Well it isn't," he muttered. "It's disturbing. Hospitals are not the place for pleasantries." Emma finished rolling his sleeves and trailed her hand down his bare arm, entwining their hands together.

"I think I could change your mind about that..." she said slowly as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips. Trying to keep his mind off their reason for being there. Seconds into their kiss though, the door was unexpectedly pushed open and a new nurse entered the room, pushing a shiny silver cart. 

She introduced herself and began talking about the six vaccines lined up on the cart; what disease they were to prevent and possible side effects of each. Emma tried to listen, she really did, but her mind was consumed with watching her pirate who hadn't taken his eyes off the needles since they entered the room. 

Before she could give into the thought that maybe she should listen to Killian's previous argument and not make him go through with it though, the nurse was walking over to the bed he was seated on and his hand was gripping her's so tightly it was almost to the point of pain. "We've made it this far," Emma thought to herself. "If he leaves now getting him to come back will be near to impossible." 

"Hey. Killian. Look at me, ok?" His head turned to follow the sound of her voice but his eyes didn't leave the line of needles on the cart. "Kill," Emma stepped closer to her pirate, standing between his knees now. The hand that wasn't locked in his grip went up to his chin and turned his head to meet her eyes. Blue met brown and if the look she had seen earlier in his eyes was fear, this was sheer panic. "You're fine. I'm right here and it'll be over before you know it. Just close your eyes and hold my hand." she whispered to him. 

"Are we ready to start?" The nurse, who was not nearly as friendly as the first one and seemed to be growing slightly impatient, asked. 

After a quick glance at the tray of needles then back to Emma, Killian closed his eyes and gave a miniscule nod of his head. "Yeah, we're ready," Emma answered, giving her pirate's hand a squeeze. 

"This will be cold," the nurse warned before wiping Killian's upper arm down with an antiseptic soaked cotton ball. His whole body flinched and his eyes closed tighter. The thought of leaving crossed Emma's mind again but they were so close to it being over that she couldn't. Instead, she let her free hand find it's way to him as the nurse moved around her to wipe down the other side. Her hand found it's way to his denim clad hip, fingers gently stroking up and down his side, hopefully offering a slight distraction. 

"We'll go three in each arm." the nurse stated, uncapping the first needle. "They will hurt a whole lot less if you would just rela..."

"It is taking every ounce of self control I have to remain seated on this bloody table,” Killian said, speaking for the first time in what felt like hours. “If I'm to go through with this torture it would be in your best interest to get on with it. Now." His voice was what Emma always called his pirate voice. Slow and smooth, perfectly controlled despite the obvious underlay of danger. 

"All right then," the nurse said, her patience limit had obviously been met. Without warning, she plunged the first needle into Killian's arm. Emma felt his entire body tense even more with a harder flinch and before his shuddering was even over the next needle was breaking through his skin. 

The remainder of the vaccinations were a blur for both Killian and Emma. Neither remembered the nurse moving on to the next arm, she was just suddenly there. Emma putting all her focus on trying to help her pirate and he simply holding on until it was over. They both even missed the nurse telling them when she was finished, Emma only noticed because there was a longer pause between the pain induced shudders that had been racking Killian's body with each injection and when she looked up she noticed that the nurse was applying bandages to each needle site. She finished up and exited the room with only a nod to Emma.

"Hey," she whispered in his ear once the nurse, and her cart, had left the room. "It's over. You hear me, Kill?" Her hand left his side and found its way to the back of his neck, playing with the gently curling hairs that hung just past his collar. "You did it, babe. I knew you could." She placed a gentle kiss to his forehead as he opened his eyes. 

"Never again, Swan. Never. Again." His voice was still a little shaky, but she could hear the seriousness behind the words. 

Her kiss landed on his lips this time before she said, "I can't promise that but I swear, never six again. Six is too many, I'm sorry. I thought it would be easier to get them done all at once but from now on we wont do any more than two at a time." As she spoke she ever so carefully rolled his shirt sleeves back down and reach him his jacket from the corner. 

She didn't know if she had ever seen a more dejected look on his face as he practically whined, "Next time?" She couldn't help but smile. "It won't be for a long time, Kill." She promised as she took his hand and led him, jacket hanging off his hook because there was no way he could move his arms enough right now to put it on, out of the evil hospital. 

After another silent car ride back home, Killian collapsed onto the couch, groaning as the movement sent pain down his arms. "Don't think you're getting out of our deal Swan, because this is your fault and you WILL be making it up to me, but I believe we may have to save that for another day seeing as how I can't even sit on the bloody sofa without feeling like I'm being stabbed." 

She grinned, knowing that now that the worst was over, she was in for a few days of a whiny pirate milking his wounds for every bit of attention and affection he could get from them. She knew she would roll her eyes and sigh and complain about him being such a baby but she would secretly love every second of taking care of him. 

"Tell you what," she said kicking off her shoes and walking over to join him on the couch. "How about we just spend the rest of the day right here watching a movie. Sound good?" "Perfect." he answered with a smile. 

Hours later, Mary Margaret came home to find her daughter and her daughter's pirate together on the couch. The end credits of a movie still rolling on the tv and Killian fast asleep, head in Emma's lap as her fingers gently carded through his thick hair. "Shhh!" Emma whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "He's had a hard day." "Right!" Mary Margaret remembered, "The booster shots. How did that go?" Emma looked down at her sleeping pirate. "We got through it..." she said with a small smile.


End file.
